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I think it ate my post, second try 😝

Oh boy *rubs hands together* Thanks for this, @eden-anderson!!

My WIP, currently in the self-edit stage and 73k words, is Stop the Rain: Never Leave a Fallen Comrade. It’s the story of a teenage US Army MP (military police) during the heat of Iraq: growing up—joining the Army—getting deployed—mostly, coming back home. I firmly believe that there’s not enough YA books about our military, nonetheless about PTSD, so I’m out to change that. Harley comes home without a scratch, no physical injuries. But he’s hurt, and he doesn’t want to admit it. It’s the story of far too many of our soldiers, and I want to open people’s eyes to that. And it has a happy ending, because I want any soldiers or military families to read it to know, there is hope.

Since you asked for snippets, here’s my opening scene…

I’m laying on my back, staring at the far wall of the barracks, the chipped paint—that wall probably hasn’t been painted in twenty years.
My chest is tight, and I’m too scared to close my eyes.
A door slams, and I bolt upright. Then I’m trying not to cry, and I’m mostly failing, and since when do teenage boys cry in the middle of the night.
Since when am I scared of the dark.
I squeeze my eyes shut and clap my hands over my ears.
But even then, I’m helpless to ward off the screams and the explosions. I can’t stop trembling, so I sit there with my hands clenched to my head and try to wait it out, knowing I’ll eventually be exhausted.
An hour later, I’m still sitting there shaking. Only now I don’t have time to fall back asleep. I’ll have to get up for PT too soon.
I don’t usually wish I had scars everyone could see. But then there’s nights like this where I can’t sleep no matter how tired I am. And I have to get up and face the next day just like any other workday.
I’m Private Harley Keane, US Army Military Police.
And too many people think I’m okay because my body’s intact.
I don’t have my own Pinterest, nor a specific board for Stop the Rain, but I have a board on my mom’s Pinterest with sections for all of my stories, so if you’re curious… https://pin.it/7rJn5V5

It’s releasing Veterans Day, and in case you’re curious and want to read it, I’m looking to have it alpha-read this coming month… 😉

@eden-anderson That sounds so sad and so beautiful all at the same time!! That snippet… 💔 It honestly doesn’t sound cliché to me… it sounds like something that needs to be told.

@arindown *melts into a little puddle* No idea if you’re a country fan, but I felt like I just read the description of Rascal Flatts’ “Mayberry” as a novel and I just love that to pieces… 🥰